This comment from Professor Ron Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski about the wider implications of Google's clash with China deserves the widest possible circulation. As they put it, at issue here is whether “the once unified global Internet space will begin a process of disintegration as countries define their own sovereign clouds.”
Declaring Independence in Cyberspace
Declaring Independence in Cyberspace tells the story of the struggle between governments and the global Internet community over control of the Internet registries (IANA). It offers new insights into a pressing question with profound implications: is state sovereignty the immutable foundation of global governance, or can new technological capabilities change the model?
“This is a book that needed to be written, and no one is better placed to write it than Milton Mueller. This full, rigorous account provides researchers and policymakers with a precious resource on global internet governance.”
Jan Aart Scholte, Leiden University